Storybarn Manager (Maternity Cover)

Storybarn Manager (Maternity Cover)

The Reader Closing date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026

Artform: Charity
Role: Creative
Contract: Contract
North West

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 "> published -

Job Summary

The Storybarn is The Reader’s imaginative play space, designed for children and families to explore a shared love of books, creativity, and Reading for Pleasure.

Job Description

This role leads all aspects of Storybarn engagement, delivering and developing programmes for children from birth to age 9 across both family and school settings. The postholder is also responsible for shaping the Storybarn's vision and business plan, ensuring its continued growth, relevance, and impact.

As this role is a maternity cover the planned start date for the post holder will be September.

Job Requirements

- Shares The Reader's mission, ethos and values and fosters a genuine willingness to work as part of a team to help The Storybarn evolve and develop in the most exciting and positive ways.
- Have a flexible and innovative approach to adapt, change and grow in a fast moving environment
- A confident and creative approach to curate and implement a range of engagement products for a mix of audiences.
- Demonstrably able to lead with prior experience in people and/or project management.
- Excellent practical and organisational skills with the ability to work unsupervised and be self-motivated, keen to learn new things
- Work in an enthusiastic and positive manner, with the flexibility to work weekends on a rota basis, able to work collaboratively with staff at all levels of seniority
- Excellent knowledge of children's literature or experience of working with children in the charitable sector
- Confident with finances, spreadsheet, reports, or willing to learn

Job Responsibilities

- Responsibility for the provision of an excellent customer experience through the delivery of high-quality Storybarn sessions
- Expertise in building a rapport and engaging with children in aspects relevant to this role
- Display an active commitment to upholding our safeguarding policies and procedures
- Be a key holder with responsibility for opening up a site building, closing down and alarming the Storybarn making sure everything is secured and alarmed
- Using the templates provided by Comms team log content on our social media platforms via Hootsuite
- Respond to messages received via social media
- Knowledge and understanding of role specific IT programmes and overseeing that systems are well maintained
- Maintain accurate data within CRM systems to support customer engagement, reporting, and business development
- Responsible for developing engaging programmed activity with children's literature being at the forefront of all activity
- Ability to cost events

Useful Links

Job Overview

  • Job Title: Storybarn Manager (Maternity Cover)
  • Salary: £30k-£40k
  • Hours: Full time
  • Artform: Charity
  • Role: Creative
  • Contract: Contract
  • Closing date: Wed, 08 Jul 2026
  • Location:
    North West
    | view on Google Maps

Job: Storybarn Manager (Maternity Cover)

Job: Storybarn Manager (Maternity Cover)

Organisation: The Reader

Postcode: L18 3JB

How to Apply

If you’re inspired by our mission, are looking for a new challenge, and want to work for a forward-thinking organisation at a really interesting time, we’d love to hear from you. Please send your completed application forms to [email protected]. You can find a full job description and all application forms here:
https://www.thereader.org.uk/job/storybarn-manager-maternity-cover/